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The Second Attempt on the King's Life
On April 30, 1599, The Enemy temporarily puppetted Lord Schneeplestein in an attempt to kill King Sean in his castle within Cordoire, Duilintinn for a second time. This would ultimately result in the founding of The Watch. Timeline of Events Following Lord Brody's suicide attempt and Lord Schneeplestein's successful efforts to save his life in April 1595, The Enemy realized that Lord Schneeplestein's ability to save his allies from the brink of death would likely foil any future attempts to assassinate King Sean, just as he had in the wake of The Enemy's first attempt to kill the king five years prior. Therefore, removing Lord Schneeplestein became The Enemy's top priority. During Duilintinn's Three Golden Years, The Enemy would dedicate himself to strengthening his magic tenfold, slowly amassing an army of spies and puppets and waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. This opportunity would come in April 1599, during the festivities celebrating the anniversary of Duilintinn's founding. Lord Schneeplestein had made many public appearances in Cordoire during these celebrations, claiming to be promoting the recent medical breakthroughs of the Lifeworker Institute in an attempt to teach these procedures to doctors across the kingdom. However, this was only half the truth. In recent weeks, the symptoms of the Influence Curse caused by The Enemy's first assassination attempt had worsened, leaving King Sean feeling intermittently ill and exhausted. Lord Schneeplestein's presence in the capital allowed the doctor to treat his old friend to the best of his ability, often giving the daily proclamations so King Sean could rest. Again, this was pitched to the public as a rare and exciting series of public appearances by a Noble Lord, rather than a substitution on behalf of an ill king, in order to avoid widespread concern. Little did anyone know at the time that the king's "illness" had been intentionally intensified by The Enemy, who no longer needed the magic of Hallows' Eve to enact his revenge. This put Lord Schneeplestein in Cordoire for weeks, giving The Enemy's spies within the capital time to sow seeds of resentment among the medical staff who accompanied him. Despite his brilliance, Lord Schneeplestein had a somewhat grating personality, which those unfamiliar with him could easily interpret as rudeness or disdain. The Enemy's spies manipulated that antagonism perfectly. By April, Lord Schneeplestein had grown extremely frustrated with his staff, often insisting that he perform tasks on his own to ensure they were done correctly. The majority of his medical team, now equally frustrated, were happy to oblige. As a result, when King Sean suddenly fainted on April 30, 1599, Lord Schneeplestein was the only doctor present during the events that followed. Using his dark magic, The Enemy took hold of Lord Schneeplestein's mind, turning him into a dark puppet under his control. What happened next is virtually unknown, but rumors abound. Some believe that Lord Schneeplestein was forced to kill the king. Others believe that The Enemy simply prevented the doctor from aiding the king as he caused his death himself. Still others say that Lord Schneeplestein managed to shake free from The Enemy's control in time to save the king from the brink of death, or that The Enemy released him early, planning to return and extract more vengeance upon the king in the future. No one knows for sure. What we do know is that, miraculously, King Sean survived once again, making his first public appearance after the attack in May 1599, ten days later. During this speech, the king explained that The Enemy had indeed attempted to kill him for the second time, but as everyone could see, he was alive and well. He also reassured the people that Lord Schneeplestein also survived the attack, but was taking an extended break from the public eye in order to recover from the ordeal. Finally, King Sean closed the proclamation with a call for optimism and unity in the face of this threat, announcing his plans to found a new organization called The Watch to stand against The Enemy. Significance First and foremost, the founding of The Watch was one of the most significant turning points in Duilintinn's history. Unlike the Three Golden Years, which were a time of relative peace and tranquility, the three years that followed the founding of The Watch saw incredible change and progress throughout the kingdom. Duilintinn's economy celebrated unprecedented growth as thousands of jobs were created almost overnight in order to lay the foundation of this new organization. These efforts prompted the discovery of several technological, scientific, magical, and scholarly breakthroughs; a trend that would continue as The Watch made more advancements in their attempts to uncover the secrets of The Enemy. Culturally, King Sean's call for a positive mental attitude in the face of overwhelming darkness would be the rallying cry that brought Duilintinn together for the next several years. In honor of this, a group of citizens dedicated themselves to the arts, literature, music, and entertainment, desiring above all else to bring cheer to the now-paranoid kingdom. While creative works were always valued within Duilintinn, this was the first time that creative works began to be seen as a vital part of the kingdom's cultural and economic infrastructure, setting the stage for Lord Jameson's Titling and the founding of House Jameson a few years later in 1602. Politically, this attempt upon the king's life would unofficially mark the beginning of the end for the administrative role of the Noble Lords. Almost immediately after giving his speech, King Sean called all of the Noble Lords to leave the management of their provinces in the capable hands of the regional bureaucracies and immediately return to Cordoire, in order to collaborate on a response to The Enemy threat that would best utilize and protect the interests of the entirety of Duilintinn. At the time, everyone assumed that this would only be a temporary measure, but as we now know, the lords would practically vanish into the king's castle, rarely to be seen again. From this moment onward, the public perception of the lords would shift from respecting them as government authorities to revering them as the legendary, almost mythical figures we refer to today as the Missing Lords. Finally, the founding of The Watch would forever change the nature of The Enemy threat. Initially, The Enemy's rage was solely targeted at King Sean and the Noble Lords, but with thousands of citizens daring to stand up against him, even ''mock ''him in their newfound confidence, The Enemy's wrath would now fall with equal fury onto the people of Duilintinn itself, not just her leaders.